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Smoking Turkey Breast Question
Horse Plains Drifter
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Anybody have a good recipe/procedure for smoking turkey breast? TIA for any input.
Comments
I'll ask the Bride what she's done in the past.
She has done several breasts and whole turkeys on the treager, and they turned out fantastic.
Mule
My propane smoker has a water pan to help keep the meat moist. I smoke at about 225? and use soaked applewood chunks. Allow about half an hour per pound and check the breast temp about 2/3 through. Don't overcook.
This is a straight store-bought, 12 pounds, five hours.
My smoker is propane powered. I smoke the meat with mostly fruit wood from my trees and a little hickory added. I use Peach and pear wood along with apple wood. I would stay away from Mesquite.
Never smoke a Butterball type turkey just get a regular one. Pull the neck and gibblets out and the pop up thermometer they all seem to have. I cut the preachers nose off and make sure the bird is thawed. I do wash my turkey in the sink and pat it dry.
I rub Olive Oil on the inside and outside of the bird. I salt and pepper it and stuff with apples, onions and garlic cut up(I don't eat this its just for seasoning)
I cook for "about" 30 min a pound at 250 degrees but I keep a thermometer in the bird the whole time. I rarely add wood because the meat will take the smoke only so much.
The USGOV says a Turkey should be cooked to a temp of 165 degrees. I usually cook mine to 160, pull the bird out, wrap it in foil and put it in a paper sack with a few towels on top. It will keep cooking and the juices will stay in. I have kept one this way from 1-3 hrs with no problem.
As far as basting a turkey I do baste them with the juice they produce mixed with apple juice.
I don't use the water pan in the smoker.
Smoke the neck and use it for either gravy or in a gumbo very tasty!
The heart, liver and gizzard get cooked in some water and the dogs get them for a treat
Otherwise, we match up.
Best so far went into a food saver bag with contents of two 6oz cans of pineapple juice and 3-4 tablespoons of honey. Left that to ruminate overnight in the fridge and smoked with hickory at 235* for 5 hours. Breast was just shy of 9 pounds.
+1
I have had a turkey cook at 20 min a pound or faster a lot depends on outside temp and other variables.
Pull it at 160 and wrap it up this makes it moist.
180 degrees = ruined turkey for anything other than a casserole.
It would be the cats meow if there was some kind of temperature probe that you could monitor remotely from outside!
This is a dead simple way to be a hero. Bird in smoker. Come back in a few hours. Remove bird. Cheers and compliments all round.
There is. I've been using this one by slipping the probe down through the smoke vent.
https://tinyurl.com/ull7okr
Pretty sure that old Deep Purple song, "Smoke On The Water" originated from a guy smoking a turkey!
Don't mind me Capt, I'm just an old hippie! 8-)